What is Littering?
Littering means to throw (often man-made) objects onto the ground as opposed to disposing of them properly. Litter is anything thrown away as unwanted material and accumulates in a disorderly manner. Litter consists of waste products such as containers, papers, and wrappers which have been improperly disposed of. Often people do not consider small items such as gum or even cigarette butts to be litter but these small pieces of rubbish are some of the most littered items on our streets.

Littering is one of the major environmental challenges in Zimbabwe; its effects are detrimental to humans, animals and the environment. Litter can exist in the environment for long periods of time before degrading,be can transported several distances into water bodies, clogs our damages our waterways and sewer systems thus, costing money.

Primary sources of litter

  • Pedestrians dropping garbage in the street or gutters;
  • Motorists discarding garbage out of windows;
  • Uncovered loads, items that are not secure can easily be blown out of trailers and cause roadside littering;
  • Household refuse disposal, animal scavengers and the wind can dislodge unsecure items placed out for collection. Litter can also result from overloading bins;
  • Poorly secured commercial refuse can easily become litter;
  • Construction projects, litter can come from uncontrolled building waste and workers’ lunchtime refuse;
  • Entertainment events, these create a large amount of litter, which can overflow onto neighbouring areas when measures to control it are not put in place;
  • Illegal dumping; and 
  • Intentional or habitual littering.

What are the effects of littering?
Litter can cause a whole range of problems for everyone in the community. Litter discarded in streets and parks can travel through the stormwater system to our rivers and lakes, where it can cause harm to wildlife and aquatic life.

  • Litter costs money. Removing litter from the environment costs everyone money as it means high council rates in order to employ more workers to clean up the streets;
  • Litter is a threat to public health. Litter attracts bugs such as (mosquitoes and flies) and is a breeding ground for bacteria. Items such as broken glass and syringes can be a health hazard in public places;
  • Litter can be a fire hazard. Accumulated litter and carelessly discarded cigarette butts are potential fire hazards;
  • Litter is unsightly and negatively affects the image of towns and cities especially tourist resorts;
  • Litter attracts litter, it sends a message that it is acceptable to litter;
  • Litter can harm or kill wildlife. Plastic litter can choke or suffocate birds and marine life;and 
  • Litter destroys waterways, organic matter such as leaves and grass clippings, clog and pollute waterways.

What does the law say?
The Environmental Management Agency’s mandate is to ensure that every citizen has a right to a clean and safe environment which is not harmful to health. To this effect EMA encourages all Local Authorities to adopt effective waste management practices in line with the Environmental Management Act (Chapter 20:27), Section 83 which states that “it is an offence to discard, dump or leave any litter on any land, street or road except in a container provided for such purpose or at a place which has specifically been designated for such purpose”.

It is a legal requirement for public transporters to put in place sufficient waste bins in their vehicles for use by passengers as stipulated in Section 23 of Statutory Instrument 6 of 2007 (Effluent and Solid Waste Disposal Regulations.)This law also seeks to prevent the nuisance associated with the distribution or casting of flyers, pamphlets, advertisements or waste paper at undesignated places. It is an offence for recipients of such materials to litter and Section 23 of Statutory Instrument 6 of 2007 authorises the imposition penalties and fines against offenders.

Every person or authority in control or responsible for the maintenance of any place must always ensure that they provide adequate bins for discarding litter.
Urban or municipal authorities are urged to work with NGOs, international agencies, the corporate world and other institutions so that they are able to provide adequate facilities for waste management services such as the provision of waste bins at strategic intervals and ensure that they come up with routine waste collection mechanisms.

Please talk to us, we are always ready to listen. Email: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> or 04 305543 / Toll free 08080028, sms/WhatsApp 0779 777 094, Like our Facebook page – Environmental Management Agency or follow us on Twitter @EMAeep.

You Might Also Like

Comments

Take our Survey

We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey